I know that you know. After the box and steering shaft are on, go up to the steering wheel and turn it all the way to the left until the steering box won't let it turn anymore.
Counting each complete turn (360*)and Partial turn of the wheel rotate the wheel to the right until it stops. It should be a little over 4 complete rotations. Divide the number of turns in half. Rotate the wheel to the left , the number of turns the division gave you. ( so if it was 4.250 rotations, turn the wheel 2.125)
This centers the box.
The pitman arm can now be installed , the part the TRE goes in, goes toward the rear of the jeep. It may not point straight back, exactly Parallel with the frame rails, but should be close. The torque on the nut is 180/185 foot pounds.

I know that you know. After the box and steering shaft are on, go up to the steering wheel and turn it all the way to the left until the steering box won't let it turn anymore.
Counting each complete turn (360*)and Partial turn of the wheel rotate the wheel to the right until it stops. It should be a little over 4 complete rotations. Divide the number of turns in half. Rotate the wheel to the left , the number of turns the division gave you. ( so if it was 4.250 rotations, turn the wheel 2.125)
This centers the box.
The pitman arm can now be installed , the part the TRE goes in, goes toward the rear of the jeep. It may not point straight back, exactly Parallel with the frame rails, but should be close. The torque on the nut is 180/185 foot pounds.

Bill

Ahhhh... I understand. I am totally comprehensible today! I was doing the centering in the bench vice. Your way is easier. Thank you, Sir. Picking up new box tomorrow.

KerrdogGo Fish!<*////><

But the right word at the right time... "Hey, give me a little hug!" That's the difference between lightning and a harmless lightning bug!

Clay has his steering box installed, and it is a big improvement. Sort of. It felt wonderful at first, but after driving it for a couple of days it feels like the box we removed. We got up-close and personal and learned that the box is moving and shifting under the pressure of turning the steering wheel, so Clay is finishing up his homemade steering box brace. Not installed yet, but it IS laying on the ground under the front of the Jeep. So we're very, very close!

Day before yesterday Clay was going to school when the hood blew up and smacked the WS. Scared the crap outta him! Very nice crunch to the hood!!! There is a big crack in the middle that goes all the way through the glass, and the hood cracked on both sides where I had reinforced with glass very early in the build. So the hood needs a total rework. Clay is already talking about repainting, and he, for some reason which I attribute to Redneck Youth Disease, wants to paint it camo. I have to take the blame for not latching his hood as I think it is my fault. The Jeep came with a central hood latch but I removed it since there was nothing for it to latch to! Guess I'll fabricate something when we refinish the hood down the road.

KerrdogGo Fish!<*////><

But the right word at the right time... "Hey, give me a little hug!" That's the difference between lightning and a harmless lightning bug!

..Clay was going to school when the hood blew up and smacked the WS. Scared the crap outta him!...

A story from my youth: It was about 1985. A friend from high school had a 1964 1/2 Mustang that had been sitting in her mother's driveway, rotting for about a decade. Getting this car to run was her only chance at having a vehicle to drive.

A friend and I, both mechanically inclined, decided to take on the project. Over the weeks we handled all of the basic work like belts, hoses, spark plugs, and battery. The high point was rebuilding the carburetor on the 289. Finally, with a lawn mower gas can in the trunk, we got the engine running. With one foot firmly on the brake pedal, I put the automatic transmission in gear. The car went...nowhere. Not even a lurch.

Quickly we figured out it had no transmission fluid, so that was an easy fix. Within an hour, we had the car driving down the street.

After hitting maybe 30 MPH, the hood flew open scared the @#$# out of us. It made a great story.

I think about that story *every* time I close the hood on my CJ, because the center hood latch does not work.

Well that sucks! Back in my youth, (pre 1985 Ken) I was working on my sisters 1967 Ford. Yep the hood came open about 40 mph.

Scott, I thought you were doing the steering brace when I posted the pictures of mine. Glad it's getting fixed now.

Ok, I can't figure this out, the primary hood latch works on everything in my signature.

RYD, I have lingering effects of that to this day.

Bill

No... we never finished it. It has been sitting on the table next to the drill press ever since. But lesson learned... after Clay installed the NEW gear box and tightened it down, and after I told him to put some meat into the wrench, and after he told me "I DID Dad!!", he then SAW the moving gear box with tightened bolts, etc. So the brace got finished. He got very annoyed with me!

RYD= Remember Your...
Driveway?
Dog?
Dill Pickle?
Dingaling?

I give up...

KerrdogGo Fish!<*////><

But the right word at the right time... "Hey, give me a little hug!" That's the difference between lightning and a harmless lightning bug!

Hey Bill, I have looked around for those folding steps. Ya know where I can find a set?

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government"
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1 Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Cool. I love snooping around a truck stop now and again. I will have a look. Thanks Bill!

Chris

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government"
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1 Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334